Is your hospital the best hospital that a customer can imagine? The worst? Now, this information is no longer something discussed behind the scenes in hospital marketing departments or in physician changing areas. With the release of HCAHPS, consumers will be able to see how likely patients are to recommend your hospital or to recommend the competition. More compelling is the fact that this data will be used in part to determine hospital reimbursement for services.

And, the important thing is that these recommendations won’t be based solely on clinical outcomes. A friend of mine recently had cancer surgery. The surgery was very successful, but he didn’t focus on the excellence of his physician or the clinical outcomes. Instead, he complained bitterly about the hospital’s lack of responsiveness to his needs. He couldn’t get water - the nurse didn’t come when he needed her, and on and on. So, despite having had remarkable clinical results, he rated the hospital well below average.

What are the implications of this story? If we don’t deliver excellent clinical outcomes, we won’t be in business. Customers expect that from every hospital. But, if we don’t focus on customer service, and make that a priority, customers will realize they have a choice and look elsewhere.

Have you checked out how your patients viewed their hospital experience? Let me know the impact of HCAHPS on your organization, and how you are planning to address the issues identified.